4 - The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, January 31, 1996 1ie £tirdlnt aigl 420 Maynard Street Ann Arbor, MI 48109 Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan RONNIE GLASSBERC Editor in Chief ADRIENNE JANNEY ZACHARY M. RAIMI Editorial Page Editors Unless otherwise noted, unsigned editorials reflect the opinion ofja majority of the Daily's editorial board. Al other articles, letters and cartoons do not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Michigan Daily. FROM THE DAILY Signs of hope Neal's appointment must be a beginning NOTABLE QUOTABLE,, 'Detroit is more than on its way back, it is on the way to becoming the city of tomorrow.' - Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer discussing Detroit's future during his State of the City address Monday night JMLASSER SHARW AS lTOAST EL~ + -1$ AVVER(SE 30 1 5f AC-E L ast Thursday, the University Board of Regents took another step in the long and tedious process of finding a successor to University President James Duderstadt. At a special meeting, the regents appointed Homer Neal, vice president for research, to the posi- tion of interim president. He will begin after Duderstadt steps down in July, and serve until a permanent president is hired some- time this fall. Although the announce- ment was sudden, the regents were correct to select Neal early. Members of the University com- munity were quick to praise Neal. Several students, faculty, staffmem- hers and regents agreed that Neal would be a capable and competent interim president. Regent Rebecca McGowan (D-Ann Arbor) said, "We3 were looking for the best person to Neal take the helm. at the University. He happens to be a lot of things. He happens to be the best." Despite Neal's popularity and extensive experience as an educator and ad- ministrator, he does not want to be consid- ered for the permanent position. Neal's choice is understandable but unfortunate. By appointing Neal more than six months before Duderstadt steps down, the regents have helped to ensure a smooth transition. Neal has several months to prepare for the interim role and to become familiar with the tasks ofthe University presidency. As a mem- ber of the executive committee, Neal is fa- miliar with its other members as well as with how the University operates. Neal has earned the respect of his col- leagues and students by being both an able teacher and administrator. Prior to joining the University, Neal served as dean of re- search and graduate development at Indiana University and as the Provost of State Uni- versity ofNew York at Stony Brook. In 1987, Neal was hired by the University as a profes- sor and chair of the physics department. He became vice president for research in 1993. In addition to these positions, Neal is a world- recognized scholar and has received several impressive fellowships and awards. The regents also should be lauded for selecting a minority to hold the University's top position. Neal, an African American male, will be the University's first minority president in 179 years. It's about time. However, the regents must not stop at Neal's temporary designa- tion - they must actively seek out minority and women candidates for the presi- dency and appoint one as a permanent re- placement to Duderstadt. Women and mi- norities are presidents of many universities throughout the nation. The University has no excuse to hold back. Neal's appointment provides a direction for the presidential search. He embodies sev- eral qualities that the next president should have - a strong academic background, ex- tensive administrative experience and an ability to bring a different viewpoint to the office. Neal's selection signified the regents' intention to find someone like this - but the University needs to do more than give out signals. It's time for a woman or a minority to be at the helm. LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Inspecting the slums Rental property bill would hurt "U" students R oaches as roommates, faucets that drip to tunes and foreign matters festering near the oven - students living in rental properties may face these and other grim conditions. A bill passed in the state Senate, pending in the House, would amend Michigan's Housing Code to order inspec- tions every six years instead of two. The bill could lead to the degradation of many rental properties, harming thousands of students in Ann Arbor. Each city's inspection code would be af- fected by the bill. Currently, Ann Arbor's code requires an owner-arranged inspection every 2 1/2 years without consent of the tenants. The bill would require tenants' writ- ten consent for the city to inspect the prop- erty. The state currently requires that state inspectors survey rental properties every two years; under the bill, the state would conduct inspections every six years. Politicians have outlined specific compo- nents-ones thatjeopardize students' living situations. Because of the additional paper- work and logistical preparations, the process will become more arduous for the inspectors. They are likely to raise their rates to compen- sate for the hassle. In turn, property owners would raise rents, as if Ann Arbor rental fees aren't high enough already. For these rea- sons, two Michigan Student Assembly mem- bers lobbied state House not to pass the bill. Many Detroit area inspectors say the new law would defray the expense of inspection. However, supporters have lost sight of the importance of regular inspections. Due to high turnover rates in college cities like Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, new tenants could move into a dangerous dwelling. Inspections are crucial for the tenants - they ensure that the building is a safe place to live. If the city inspects once every six years, apartments could decay to hazardous conditions. Legislators in Lansing may believe the bill would alleviate the state's inspection burden. However, the bill could have nega- tive effects on those who live in rental ac- commodations, especially University stu- dents. State House representatives should reject the bill, understanding its consequences for the constituents who send them to Lan- sing. Daily rightly criticizes mediocre movies TO THE DAILY: Well, thank you, Daily, for setting the record straight on "Waterworld" and those countless other bombs ("Anticipation builds; films disappoint," 1I/ 25/96). It never would have occurred to me to examine the intricate psychology involved in the failure of the American public to accept "Howard the Duck" as a valid cinematic work. I myself could not have so eloquently expressed in mere words the lack of "significant chemistry" between the characters in "Ishtar." I'm glad a Daily editor took it upon them- selves to do so. Maybe we do need to accept the fact that movies cost a lot these days, and that many of them bomb. But given a few choices of where to spend "Waterworld's $175 million budget, I would probably rather see the population of an unfortunate Third World country fed and clothed for 200 years than to have a moderately watchable movie on videotape. Ten years from now when I am watching "Waterworld" in a cheap hotel at 2 a.m., I'll appreci- ate (thanks to your article) the way it rose above cynicism, artistic conflicts and harsh weather to take its place in history among the other truly mediocre creations in this world. AMELIA NATOLI SCHOOL OF ART Dental 3 editorial biased TO THE DAILY: On Thursday, Jan. 25, I was reading the Daily editorial page when I came across the biggest piece of racist thrash I've seen in this newspaper in some time ("Crying Wolf). The Daily completely distorted the facts about the Dental School 3 case and showed their complete lack of understanding of the state of racism in this society and on this campus. One would think that the administration wrote the editorial, it was so biased. It is true, the University examined itself and found that it was not racist in firing receiving. The arbitrator did not agree with the Univer- sity. The arbitrator ruled that the Dental School 3 were not guilty of fraud and restore them to their origina pay. The Daily writes that the National Women's Rights Organizing Coalition trivializes the fight over racism by actually organiz- ing the fight against this racist University. The Daily probably believes that there is no racism around here. Yet the Daily reporter who came to the press conference for Dental School 3 asked Dawn, Theresa and Delano why they would want to return to the Dental School if they were not wanted there. Why should they be forced to go to another job because their supervisor is a racist'? Maybe the Daily believes that black school- children should go to all- black schools because they are not wanted in white schools. The very fact that the Daily runs editorials like they did on the Dental School 3 shows that the fight against racism is far from over. The Dental School 3 have not yet received complete justice and as long as the adminis- tration has pawns like the Daily, the struggle will go on. Russ ABRUTYN LSA SENIOR Mistake trivializes Challenger explosion To THE DAILY: In Monday's article on the Challenger explosion ("The Challenger: 10 year later" 1/29/96). Will Weissert wrote, "killing the shuttle's I1 passengers ... " For 10 years I've marked the anniversary by reciting the names of the seven members of the Challenger's crew. Smith, Scobee, Onizuka, Jarvis, McNair, Resnick and McAuliffe were the only people I knew to be on board. If Mr. Weissert has new information I'd like to know more. By inaccurately reporting on this incident you seem to trivialize the loss of these individuals. They died in the most noble of humankind's endeavors; breaking us free of our cradle. My breath still catches in my chest and my eyes mist over when I hear the words, "Roger, go for throttle-up." DAN JARRELL SOLID STATE ELECTRONICS LAB-ADMINISTRATION 'U' Housing does a good job for students TO THE DAILY: Recently, every resident should have received a letter from William Zeller, the director of University Housing, which is a division of the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. This letter informed its recipients of a decision on the part of University housing to extend leases to accommodate the residents' busy end-of-the-year schedules. Specifically, Zeller states that he is "very pleased to let (us) know that University Housing is voluntarily extending ... residence hal leases from the stated date and time of May 2, 1996, at 9:00 p.m., to May 4, 1996, at 12:00 p.m." These extra two days are at no charge, and are provided merely to assist residents during the hectic period of "move-out." Altruistic decisions such as this one are almost unheard of at this University. This decision exemplifies the commitment to nothing but total and complete service to the residents on the part of University Housing. Under the direction of Zeller the talented staff in Housing administration has worked tirelessly to assure not only a comfortable living situation for almost 10,000 residents, but also has strived to accommodate all the needs and special situations. The Residence Halls Association both commends and applauds Zeller and the staff of University Housing for their actions and for their continued dedication and commitment in serving the interests of residents. Other departments at the University would do well to study the excellent "cus- tomer-service" attitudesthat University Housing demonstrates on a day to day basis. Congratulations should go to both students and administrators in this situation. We have all won here. RANDALL A. JUIP LSA JUNIOR VICE PRESIDENT, RESIDENCE HALLS ASSOCIATION LAST-DITCH APPEAL State-led war crimes should be punished F orty-fve"Bosnian Serbsand seven . Bosnian Croats have been in-. dicted for so-called "crimes against humanity" by an international tribu-' nal at the Hague. So far only one, a Serb, has been arrested, and it ap- pears unlikely that any more suspects. will be arrested any time soon. This is because the United States does not want to use NATO troops to ' gather evidence , and make arrests. Instead, the United States chooses to use diplomacy to persuade Croatia and Serbiato abide JORDA by the terms of the STANCIL Dayton peace agreement, which require that they arrest and extradite their own nationals who have been indicted. They have shown no inter- est in doing so, each arguing that th other has to go first. And so it appears that justice will not be done after all. Those who oppose an active American role claim that all parties to the conflict committed atrocities and that it's not America's "job" to arrest foreigners who committed crimes on their own soil against people who are not Americans. Besides, they say, how can we keep the peace among people we are investigating, indic ing and arresting? These arguments are based on a misunderstanding of what occurred in the latest Balkan war and on a failure to learn the lessons of the Holocaust. The truth is that the issue is too important for the United States not to act, even at the risk of angering Serbia and Croatia.. While all sides are guilty ofatroci- ties, those indicted by the tribunal are charged with crimes against human ity, not war crimes. The difference is crucial. War crimes are actions which are incidental to warfare, and whilh we recognize as falling within the realm of possible human wrongdo- ing. We can't forgive a soldier who rapes a civilian or who mistreats prisoner, nor can we condone his ac tions. But we can't categorize them as crimes against anyone other than his immediate victim. However, if the systematic mur- der or rape of civilians becomes state policy, as it was for Nazi Germany and appears to have been for Croatia and the Bosnian Serbs, then these crimes cease to be war crimes be- cause they are not merely isolated wrongs committed by soldiers during war. Once carried out on a large enough scale, they become "crimes against humanity," or in the words a French war crimes prosecutor quoted in "Eichmann in Jerusalem," "crimes against the human status." They are crimes which, because of their scope, are offenses not only against their immediate victims but against all human beings. Under this logic, the crimes com- mitted by the Nazis were too terrible to be limited in the way an individual murder is limited to harming only the person murdered. By introducing ne evils to the world, Germany degraded the very concept of humanity. Her actions proved conclusively that hu- man beings' capacity to do evil was boundless. Because the victim of the crime is "humanity," it is proper for an inter- national tribunal to pass judgment on the criminal. This reasoning gives our outrage at the Holocaust juridicial means of expressing itsel and it recognises that all nations even if not in immediate danger - must together oppose such crimes. The Bosnian Serbs and the Croats committed crimes against humanity. It was their policy to wipe out entire villages. Thousands of civilians were murdered in the name ofethnic cleans- ing, and Muslim women were sys- tematically raped by Serbs in orderto produce Serb children. Not eve4 body did this, and even if everyone had, this would be no excuse. If the world fails to bring the criminals to justice, the phrase "Never again" will become ever more meaningless. The United States is building a powerful military presence in Bosnia. If the Serb and Croat governments fail to turn over all war criminals, the United States should use its power arrest them. The United States shou collect evidence of the crimes; the Serbs and Croats must be confronted with it. This was the process by which Germany was made to acknowledge what it had done. The weight of the evidence and the fact that everyone How TO CONTACT THEM STATE REP. LIZ BRATER (D-53RD DISTRICT, CENTRAL CAMPUS) 412 ROOSEVELT BUILDING LANSING, MI 48909 (517) 373-2577 STATE REP. MARY SCHROER (D-52ND DISTRICT, NORTH CAMPUS) 99 OLDS PLAZA BUILDING LANSING, MI 48909 (517) 373-1792 HOMER NEAL OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH 4080 FLEMING ADMINISTRATION BUILDING ANN ARBOR, MI 48109 764-1185 i r'- uncDew ~